Repair or replacement of valves and valve seals are commonly encountered automotive repair tasks. Typically such repairs can be effected only by removing the compression spring which surrounds the valve stem and urges the valve into a closed condition. The spring is compressed so that the locking pin and washer or other locking means disposed at the end of the valve stem can be removed, thereby permitting removal of the spring itself.
Various tools are available for compressing valve springs. For example, one device employs a pair of telescoping elements for engaging opposite ends of the spring and a removable handle which fits in a complementary hole in the side of the device and which pivots back and forth to compress and decompress the spring. Another device includes a pair of spring engaging elements and a pivotably attached handle which may be operated from various angles. These tools tend to be relatively complex and include a number of movable parts. Additionally they are designed for use with older L head engines wherein the valves and valve springs are mounted in the cylinder block.
Currently, most automobile engines mount the valves and valve springs in a cylinder head. Valve spring compressor tools employed for such engines typically include an elongate handle having a forked element at one end. The forked element includes two prongs which receive a rocker arm stud between them. When the handle is pivoted upwardly the tips of the prongs bear on the spring keeper in order to compress the spring. In an alternative design, an elongate bar is fixed to the cylinder head and the tool is pivoted about the bar to compress respective springs.
Valve spring compression tools of the prior art are very often unsatisfactory for compressing springs in vans, buses and other vehicles having cramped engine quarters. In such vehicles a portion of the engine compartment may extend rearwardly under the window and dash. Access to some or all of the valve springs may be severely limited by the firewall or other parts of the engine compartment. As a result, in such vehicles it is often very difficult, if not impossible, to insert or properly manipulate the compression tools of the prior art. The handles of these devices cannot be pivoted in their intended manner and therefore the valve springs cannot be compressed. Consequently, necessary valve repairs may be delayed or neglected altogether.